Do Weighted Blankets Help Kids Sleep? | With a Giveaway!
Do you have a kid who refuses to fall asleep? I do! My almost-four-year-old daughter has never in her life fell asleep easily. Which means that I have been stumbling about a fugue state for the last four years or so… I kept hearing about how weighted blankets have been vital tools in the special needs community for years and now they are going mainstream. I was willing to try anything (anything!) to get this kid to fall asleep faster. So, on a whim, I Googled, “Do Weighted Blankets Help Kids Sleep?” and then searched for “Weighted blankets for kids” on Amazon, and bought this one.
My daughter, Ava, is so different than her older brother. After the initial phase of sleep training in the toddler years, he’s never had trouble falling asleep. Like any kid, he’ll always say he wants to stay up later. But once he’s gone through the bedtime routine and fully tucked in, he falls fast asleep. And stay asleep.
Not so for his sister. She’s like the Energizer Bunny. I can barely get her to sit still for a bedtime story. We cut out sugar in the afternoon. We did warm baths, massages with lavender scented lotion, and cozy pajamas. We dimmed lights in the evening, talked in “quiet voices,” made sure she had used the bathroom, had a glass of water beside her, a sound machine on… But nothing could lull this child.
She’d be awake for 2-3 hours after bedtime every night. (And ya’ll wonder why I drink? Kidding… kind of.) Sometimes she’d stay in her room, but be singing and moving around. Most times, she’d keep popping out of bed.
We tried disciplining it out of her. We tried various “consequences” for getting out of bed and I have to admit, I even resorted to spanking her in one moment of complete frustration.
Nothing worked! If you’ve been following MomCave for a while, you may have even seen my daughter’s bedtime resistance in action. Like the night where she yelled, “This is stooopid!!” from her bed for hours.
So I did what any mom would do. I turned to the internet. I read about how weighted blankets can help children sleep.
Weighted blankets have been around for a long time, especially for kids with autism or behavioral disturbances,” says Dr. Cristina Cusin, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “It is one of the sensory tools commonly used in psychiatric units. Patients who are in distress may choose different types of sensory activities — holding a cold object, smelling particular aromas, manipulating dough, building objects, doing arts and crafts — to try to calm down.”
The blankets are supposed to work much the same way tight swaddling helps newborns feel snug and secure so they can doze off more quickly. The blanket basically simulates a comforting hug, in theory helping to calm and settle the nervous system.Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School
Companies that sell the blankets typically recommend that you buy one that weighs approximately 10% of your body weight, which would mean a 15-pound blanket for a 150-pound person.
The weight of the blanket supplies a calmingproprioceptive input and tactile input that is calming, like a reassuring hug.
Let me put this right here: NEVER use a weighted blanket with a baby. And always use the right weight of your child. Generally, the guideline is 10% of your child’s weight plus one pound. (I purchased a 5 pound one for Ava.)
When the blanket arrived, I told her that I had a special present. That night, I unveiled the “magic blanket” and told a story of how this weighted magical blanket helps kids fall asleep faster and stay asleep. She seemed intrigued. She loved the texture. It’s made of that dotted minky fabric that is so fun to “pet.” The texture gave her a new way to self-soothe at night.
So… do weighted blankets help kids sleep?
Over the next week or so, she always asked for her “magic blanket” at night. She seemed to settle easier during bedtime stories and popped up and out of bed waaaay less.
So, do weighted blankets help kids sleep? Did the weighted blanket solve our bedtime problem? I’ll be honest, not completely. This child is a force. But it did make the transition easier. I think this is a problem we will be working on for a long time. But we now have a new tool in our arsenal. Get 10% off with code “MomCaveTV”
Oh, and I bought one for myself! That is heaven.
Would you like to win a weighted blanket of your own? We’re giving one away! Enter below.
Win a Weighted Blanket to Help Your Kid Fall AsleepThis post is sponsored by Roore. All opinions are my own.
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12:04 pm
I’ve been hearing so many good things about weighted blankets.
9:26 pm
i bought a weighted blanket for my kid who has anxiety and he didn’t like it
7:49 am
Aw, that’s too bad.
9:27 pm
I would love this weighted blanket, my son had trouble staying the at times. Thanks
9:44 pm
Your daughter sounds exactly like mine! The oldest was a perfect sleeper since she came in this world, and I think I bragged too much lol. My little 4 year old, sheesh! I think I can count on one hand how many times she’s slept through the night since she was born, needless to say, coffee is my bff. I’ve tried EVERYTHING, but have been weary of the blankets because they’re a little pricey and don’t want to spend more money on something that may not work. We go to a sleep specialist in July, so I’ll have my fingers crossed for this giveaway to give it a shot, and save my sanity lol. Thanks for the chance!
10:24 pm
I have been on the fence about getting a weighted blanket. I don’t think it’ll fix the problem, but with it being a “magical blanket,” sure couldn’t hurt. Sometimes I forget to embellish just to make kids feel better.
10:31 pm
I have suffered from anxiety my whole life and have been hearing a lot of positive things about weighted blankets. I would love to try one to see if I would feel any calmer and more comforted.
11:26 pm
I’ve heard a lot of good things about weighted blankets. This would be a nice gift for our grandson and also a nice gift for his Mama (our daughter) who is an awesome only parent. I remember Ashton use to LOVE being swaddled as a baby and he does love his blankets to cuddle in now too. I have a feeling he would love this type even more.
9:53 am
Would LOVE this for my 4 year old, she is an awful sleeper! Fingers crossed!
10:53 am
I want to try this blanket for my granddaughter.
5:45 pm
I never tried a weighted blanket before, but I hear they’re great and help with anxiety too.
7:44 pm
I’ve been wanting to try one of these! Would be great for my son!
8:48 pm
I’ve been wanting to try a weighted blanket. I’m curious if it’s just another health fad, or if, they really live up to all the hype. Some of them can be really expensive, so it’d be nice to win one.
12:22 am
Awesome prize!
8:34 am
I would get a lot of better sleep with this
Blanket
11:45 am
this is an awesome giveaway
3:04 pm
rock
4:06 pm
I would love to win a weighted blanket.
6:42 pm
I really love to have one, thanks so much for the chance.
7:12 pm
i would love to win a weighted blanket
7:25 pm
Thank you for your review. I think my nephew with Asperger would benefit from one of these.
11:28 am
So excited to win!
12:31 pm
My grandson would love to have a weighed blanket . Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night. This is just what he needs .
6:29 pm
This is great and everyone could use and benefit from this thanks
9:08 am
I would love to try one of these blankets
11:50 am
This sounds like a natural way to improve sleep
12:14 pm
I have a grandson who could benefit from a weighted blanket. Thanks for the info.
5:55 pm
I would like to try a weighted blanket. Seems to be a great blanket.
8:07 pm
Thanks for the chance!
8:48 pm
My son is so scared to fall asleep at night without someone holding him. I think that this blanket would help with that.
7:45 am
I think it would!
10:00 pm
I could really use this for my son.
5:20 am
Have always wanted a weighted blankets to help my kids with their anxiety.
11:31 pm
My daughter has always had a hard time falling asleep and I’ve heard such great things about these blankets. Would be perfect for her. Maybe she’ll fall asleep faster.
5:44 pm
I’ve been wanting to try on of these for a long time, for my daughter and also for my husband…I think both of them would really like the blankets. Wasn’t familiar with this particular brand and enjoyed learning about it. So happy you found a solution that helps a little with your bedtime problems with your child, best of luck…. and thank you for th Chance to win this awesome blanket!!!
4:10 pm
Difficulty sleeping due to anxiety runs in our family with some members
6:08 pm
I would love to use this blanket for my allergies
10:39 pm
I have been wanting to try one of these!
12:09 am
I have severe depression and anxiety and have wanted to try a weighted blanket to see if it would help my mental health. I also have insomnia and getting a deep, restful sleep is hard so I’d love to try this out!
4:04 am
These blankets are great to relax you.
12:15 pm
I’d love to win this for my youngest, think this would help her out a lot.
4:17 pm
I’ve been e=hearing so much about weighted blankets recently and would love to try it out (:
10:31 pm
I haven’t heard of these blankets before but I’m going to give them a try.
10:36 pm
I’d like to try a weighted blanket!
12:09 pm
I think weighted blankets are a marvelous idea and glad to see more companies making them.
2:14 pm
Never tried these before. would love to try this out
5:42 pm
I’ve always wanted to try this out!
7:04 pm
This blanket seems like it would help a lot with anxiety and stress!
7:54 pm
My daughter has wanted a weighted blanket for the longest time. I’m hoping to win for her.
9:11 pm
Thanks for the great giveaway!
10:56 pm
I would love to try one of these. The most sleep I get is 3 hours a night if I am lucky. I am so tired of being tired and this blanket looks like it would finally help me get some sleep.